40 Feds raid woman's chicken farm

 Red State:

What started as a Texas farmer’s love for exotic chickens has led to armed federal agents storming her farm, killing her prized birds, and a possible 20-year prison sentence for bringing rare eggs into the country.

Jennifer Mayo, who owns a chicken farm in South Texas, has found herself at the center of a federal smuggling case that has destroyed her business and left her fighting for her freedom.

The farmer’s story begins with a passion project that grew into a flourishing business enterprise. She started with nine birds about five years ago. Her collection eventually expanded into 39 different breeds of chickens, and her farm became a local attraction, drawing visitors from her community.

“Our local newspaper did a little article about it becoming kind of a roadside attraction,” Mayo told me in a podcast interview (see video below). Her focus on rare and exotic breeds like the Dong Tao, which are native to Vietnam, helped her stand out from other chicken farming operations.

Jennifer Mayo, who owns a chicken farm in South Texas, has found herself at the center of a federal smuggling case that has destroyed her business and left her fighting for her freedom.

The farmer’s story begins with a passion project that grew into a flourishing business enterprise. She started with nine birds about five years ago. Her collection eventually expanded into 39 different breeds of chickens, and her farm became a local attraction, drawing visitors from her community.

“Our local newspaper did a little article about it becoming kind of a roadside attraction,” Mayo told me in a podcast interview (see video below). Her focus on rare and exotic breeds like the Dong Tao, which are native to Vietnam, helped her stand out from other chicken farming operations.

Mayo proceeded to LAX, where she planned to declare her possession of the eggs.

“I get to LAX, still nothing... It was completely my intent to declare them,” she said, adding that she didn’t see a single customs agent as the airport was under construction. “What I had read on the website for customs was that it was at the discretion of the customs agent. So I was like, ‘If they let me through, they let me through. If they don’t, I had a wonderful experience on this trip,” she said.

Excited about her purchase, Mayo told her friends on Facebook about the process. But the excitement would soon turn to horror.

A team of heavily armed federal agents raided Mayo’s farm in July 2023. The officers also detained her tenants, placing them in handcuffs.

“They kicked in all the doors. They handcuffed my tenants. They kept one of my tenants standing outside, handcuffed in his underwear, for two hours,” Mayo recounted. In total, around 40 officers were involved, including U.S. Marshals in riot gear. “Look at me. Do I really look like I’m gonna run?” she asked, incredulous.
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The raid’s most devastating moment came next, when the agents killed Mayo’s Dong Tao chickens without her consent.

“They asked the attorney I had at the time for permission to kill the birds... My boss, who was also my friend, told them, ‘No, she does not give the attorney permission.’ They were like, ‘No, we’re doing it anyways.’” she said. “So they killed the surviving Dong Tao.”
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Forty Feds sounds like a lot of guys to deal with a few chickens.  The story does not indicate why they thought the chickens were a threat.  Were the birds considered illegal immigrants?

This is the same administration that is all for illegal immigration.